I was surprised we didn't have a thread for this already.
The Ohio DOT is working on building two new structures to carry I-71 over the Little Miami River. This morning, they demolished two sections of the old span, with the remainder still to be done at a later date. Video is at the below link.
http://www.dot.state.oh.us/districts/D08/PublishingImages/Jeremiah%20Morrow%20Blast.m4v
Project website: http://www.omniproservices.com/jeremiah-morrow-bridge-replacement-project.html
My question is why is it taking six years to complete this bridge? The Stan Musial Bridge over the Mississippi in St. Louis (which now carries I-70) took way less time to complete (and it's a way bigger bridge).
I can see 2-3 years, 4 years at tops, due to delays, weather, etc. But six years? Really? :confused:
Site access, mainly. Three years for one span, then three more for the other.
(https://www.aaroads.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.omniproservices.com%2Fimages%2Fjmb-photo-gallery%2Fjeremiah-morrow-bridge_cam_07-01-14.jpg&hash=540ad4309d97c83adb0604c52dd1e3eca169750f)
Quote from: ElPanaChevere on June 30, 2014, 08:40:35 PM
My question is why is it taking six years to complete this bridge? The Stan Musial Bridge over the Mississippi in St. Louis (which now carries I-70) took way less time to complete (and it's a way bigger bridge).
I can see 2-3 years, 4 years at tops, due to delays, weather, etc. But six years? Really? :confused:
You've never seen construction projects in Ohio, then, have you?
Quote from: exit322 on July 10, 2014, 10:55:15 AM
Quote from: ElPanaChevere on June 30, 2014, 08:40:35 PM
My question is why is it taking six years to complete this bridge? The Stan Musial Bridge over the Mississippi in St. Louis (which now carries I-70) took way less time to complete (and it's a way bigger bridge).
I can see 2-3 years, 4 years at tops, due to delays, weather, etc. But six years? Really? :confused:
You've never seen construction projects in Ohio, then, have you?
It's miserable. A nearly identical set of bridges on I-271 was replaced a few years back and took almost as long. I remember how long it took them to build the NEXT project in Columbus. I lived there four years and they were working on it the entire time I was there. That was fast. I heard that I-670 took much longer. The US 33 Nelsonville bypass was opened pretty recently and construction started in the mid-2000s. I-90 northeast of Cleveland has been under construction since at least 2002. They've been widening I-71 between Columbus and Cleveland for over a decade and there's still a decent amount of work to be done. Don't get me started on the current project in downtown Columbus.
Quote from: exit322 on July 10, 2014, 10:55:15 AM
Quote from: ElPanaChevere on June 30, 2014, 08:40:35 PM
My question is why is it taking six years to complete this bridge? The Stan Musial Bridge over the Mississippi in St. Louis (which now carries I-70) took way less time to complete (and it's a way bigger bridge).
I can see 2-3 years, 4 years at tops, due to delays, weather, etc. But six years? Really? :confused:
You've never seen construction projects in Ohio, then, have you?
Tangentally related --- I've been doing the Cincinnati-Detroit drive regularly for 10 years now. I-75 in Downtown Dayton has never been
NOT under construction. I'm still not sure exactly what they're doing there either.
I also expect construction in the region to be more expensive, and requiring more permits, due to the regulatory and union friendly climate these states have.
Quote from: cl94 on July 11, 2014, 10:07:26 AM
It's miserable. A nearly identical set of bridges on I-271 was replaced a few years back and took almost as long. I remember how long it took them to build the NEXT project in Columbus. I lived there four years and they were working on it the entire time I was there. That was fast. I heard that I-670 took much longer. The US 33 Nelsonville bypass was opened pretty recently and construction started in the mid-2000s. I-90 northeast of Cleveland has been under construction since at least 2002. They've been widening I-71 between Columbus and Cleveland for over a decade and there's still a decent amount of work to be done. Don't get me started on the current project in downtown Columbus.
Most of the projects you cite were actually several projects let over many years, in which case each project was completed in a reasonable time. The I-71 widening could have been done in two or three years if all the segments were started at the same time, but the state didn't have the cash to do it all at once. As for the Nelsonville bypass, yes they did grading on one third of it a bunch of years ago, but then it sat idle for years before funding became available, then it was finished in four years.
So when is this supposed to be done? (Previous posts in this thread talk about the length of the project but not when it started or is expected to end.) I cross the bridge several times a month, and they made a lot of progress on the southbound span this year. It would be my guess that it could be done by the end of 2016, but that's entirely from my visual observations.
Dramatic site for such a handsome bridge, but I suspect the people driving over it don't have an inkling.
Quote from: vtk on December 09, 2015, 10:21:33 PM
So when is this supposed to be done? (Previous posts in this thread talk about the length of the project but not when it started or is expected to end.) I cross the bridge several times a month, and they made a lot of progress on the southbound span this year. It would be my guess that it could be done by the end of 2016, but that's entirely from my visual observations.
Knowing Ohio, it'll always be under construction. As soon as the bridge is done, they'll decide to widen I-71.
Quote from: cl94 on December 09, 2015, 11:09:32 PM
Quote from: vtk on December 09, 2015, 10:21:33 PM
So when is this supposed to be done? (Previous posts in this thread talk about the length of the project but not when it started or is expected to end.) I cross the bridge several times a month, and they made a lot of progress on the southbound span this year. It would be my guess that it could be done by the end of 2016, but that's entirely from my visual observations.
Knowing Ohio, it'll always be under construction. As soon as the bridge is done, they'll decide to widen I-71.
I wish Ohio was more like Texas with its roads. Everything would be done in a blink.
Quote from: noelbotevera on December 09, 2015, 11:12:08 PM
Quote from: cl94 on December 09, 2015, 11:09:32 PM
Quote from: vtk on December 09, 2015, 10:21:33 PM
So when is this supposed to be done? (Previous posts in this thread talk about the length of the project but not when it started or is expected to end.) I cross the bridge several times a month, and they made a lot of progress on the southbound span this year. It would be my guess that it could be done by the end of 2016, but that's entirely from my visual observations.
Knowing Ohio, it'll always be under construction. As soon as the bridge is done, they'll decide to widen I-71.
I wish Ohio was more like Texas with its roads. Everything would be done in a blink.
Ohio is dysfunctional from the top down. I love telling people the story of the first time I saw ODOT plows. An ODOT truck drove by my house dropping salt when I lived there. 100 feet behind it was a plow that sent all of that salt to the sidewalk.
Quote from: cl94 on December 09, 2015, 11:16:47 PM
Ohio is dysfunctional from the top down. I love telling people the story of the first time I saw ODOT plows. An ODOT truck drove by my house dropping salt when I lived there. 100 feet behind it was a plow that sent all of that salt to the sidewalk.
I watched NJDOT do something equally intelligent a couple of winters ago. Salt truck spreads salt, seconds later, a plow sends it off to the side of the road. In your example at least the salt made it to a sidewalk; perhaps aiding in some melting of snow on said sidewalk. There is no sidewalk along the road that I watched NJDOT perform their magic on. It merely became a salt lick for deer; just increasing the likelihood of a car-deer collision. :ded:
Heh. I do like NYSDOT's snow and ice equipment. Plow in the front, party sand in the back!
Quote from: Rothman on December 14, 2015, 09:48:04 AM
Heh. I do like NYSDOT's snow and ice equipment. Plow in the front, party sand in the back!
I don't know if they still do this, but when I lived there, R1 used a mix of salt and sand north of Albany County because it got too cold for salt to work, as did most county and town governments. It was great. Well, that and how the Town of Queensbury has bigger plows than ODOT outside of Cleveland.
I can show you part of Interstate 35 south of Waco that was under construction for 10 years - to add a 3rd lane for less than 5 miles.
And these days, all the new construction has electronic tolling on it.
I can't agree that Texas is a good example for roads.
Quote from: noelbotevera on December 09, 2015, 11:12:08 PM
I wish Ohio was more like Texas with its roads. Everything would be done in a blink.
Quote from: DevalDragon on July 19, 2016, 11:57:24 PM
I can show you part of Interstate 35 south of Waco that was under construction for 10 years - to add a 3rd lane for less than 5 miles.
And these days, all the new construction has electronic tolling on it.
I can't agree that Texas is a good example for roads.
Quote from: noelbotevera on December 09, 2015, 11:12:08 PM
I wish Ohio was more like Texas with its roads. Everything would be done in a blink.
Still better than PennDOT. They'll have a lane closed for 20 miles when working on less than a mile of it.
The new northbound span looks nearly done. The deck is all there (I think – I can't actually see it from the new southbound span carrying northbound traffic, because the side walls are solid concrete) and rebar is in place for the side walls. Work has begun on the approaches. If I were to guess, I'd say optimistically northbound traffic can be shifted to the new northbound span at the end of this fall, and southbound traffic shifted to the new southbound span not long after, with demolition of the old southbound span and general cleanup in 2017. On the other hand, it wouldn't really surprise me if the current traffic pattern remains until spring, though I would be wondering why it's taking so long when the new bridge looks done.
It appears that a traffic shift will occur very soon. The paving appears to be done or almost done on the rebuilt northbound lanes. A big new concrete median wall is nearly complete. A VMS is advising of impending closure of the southbound rest area, for (I think) 8 months.
Here's an update that was posted in the Ohio Valley forum:Quote from: marleythedog on January 03, 2017, 08:54:37 PM
I-71 north and southbound have both been on their new decks of the Jeremiah Morrow Bridge for a couple weeks now.
Took this from the Little Miami River trail below (the terrain made it pretty much impossible to get a picture of the whole thing):
(https://scontent-iad3-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/15740911_319934355072726_5815984719463956291_n.jpg?oh=0984e994f74127413954b96bfd1b2ddd&oe=58DA51F6)
And a lovely reassurance marker at the northbound rest area:
(https://i.imgur.com/Mx9VSzh.jpg)
The demolition of the old southbound span could be near. I-71 will be closed both directions Sunday morning.
http://www.dot.state.oh.us/districts/D08/Newsreleases/Pages/Interstate-71Jeremiah-Morrow-bridge-detour.aspx
Interstate 71/Jeremiah Morrow bridge detour scheduled
Warren County (Monday, April 17, 2017) — To accommodate bridge work on the original southbound Interstate 71/Jeremiah Morrow bridge, I-71 will be closed to traffic between the State Route 73 and SR 48 exits from 5 a.m. until 11 a.m. Sunday, April 23.
The detour for southbound I-71 is SR 73 to U.S. 42 to SR 48 to I-71; the detour for northbound I-71 is SR 48 to U.S. 42 to SR 73 to I-71. During this detour, the ramps from SR 123 to northbound I-71 and from Wilmington Road to southbound I-71 will be closed.
Also during this time, traffic on the Little Miami Scenic River and Trail will not be permitted between Wilmington Road and SR 350. Please also note the north and southbound rest areas will be closed during this time.
Law enforcement and construction personnel will be on site at various access points to the interstate, river and scenic trail to enforce these restrictions.
###
The Ohio Department of Transportation maintains the state's largest man-made asset--the transportation system. ODOT's mission is to provide the safe and easy movement of people and goods from place to place. As a $2.8 billion per year enterprise, ODOT invests the bulk of its resources in system preservation through maintenance, construction and snow and ice operations.
The environmental review, consultation, and other actions required by applicable Federal environmental laws for this project are being, or have been, carried out by ODOT pursuant to 23 U.S.C. 327 and a Memorandum of Understanding dated December 11, 2015, and executed by FHWA and ODOT.
###
For more information contact:
Brian Cunningham, Communications Manager, at (513) 933-6511 or Liz Lyons, Public Information Specialist, at (513) 933-6534, cell (513) 781-8521 or email D08.PIO@dot.ohio.gov
Sunday is officially demolition day for the old southbound span.
http://www.wlwt.com/article/interstate-71-to-be-shut-down-for-demolition-work/9529368
video of the demolition:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OfeKQ4Y9YrI&
The completion of demolishing the old southbound span will be done this sunday, so I-71 will be closed on the bridge between 5 AM and 10 PM this sunday. Apparently the bridge still not fully demolished and must be imploded one more time.